Wednesday, August 14, 2013

"Getting to Know You" Link Party: Texas Women Bloggers

I recently became a part of an awesome blogger support group called Texas Women Bloggers. I really like the Texas Women Bloggers because they opened me up to a whole new world of bloggers, including many new blogs outside my niche. I am proud to be a part of this fun supportive group of ladies, so when I saw they were hosting a "Getting to Know You" link party, I wanted to play too! This quote is from the site:

1. What part of Texas do you call home?

I have lived in Texas since 1998 and I currently reside in Fort Worth, TX. I have lived all over the country and Fort Worth really feels like home. For those of you reading from outside the state, the answer is no, we don't all commute to work on horseback. Although, I would be lying if I told you I didn't see a horse trot down the street occasionally.

Ollie's new BFF

2. How long have you been blogging?

I started casually blogging in 2009. No one read my blog back then, except maybe my husband and my mom (Hi, Mom!). It had no real niche or purpose. I started to get serious about my blog in December 2011 when I decided to focus on running related topics and called it "Running for Dummies." In April of 2013, as my blog grew faster than I could have imagined, I changed my blog name to "Running with Ollie" out of sheer fear of getting shut down from the "for Dummies" book people.

3. Why did you start blogging?

I have always considered myself a writer. As a kid I would proudly state that I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. Maybe I didn't end up writing for a living, but I still consider myself a writer. Writing is my creative outlet.

What do you want to be when you grow up, little girl?

4. When we visit your blog, what can we expect to discover?

A lot of running and fitness related articles, some product reviews, race recaps, and hopefully a few chuckles. I make myself laugh anyway, that is all that matters, right?

5. How did you come up with your blog title and what is its meaning?

Running with Ollie. Ollie is my dog! We run together but this blog is not all about him, he just makes a good mascot and looks pretty cute in the pictures. I laugh at how many blog inquires that I get that start out with "Dear Ollie." I always say, "Look Ollie, you got another e-mail." If only I could train my dog to answer e-mails, my life would be so much easier.

6. What do you love about being part of Texas Women Bloggers?

It is such an inspiring group of women! Everyone is so supportive and willing to share. I love finding new interesting blogs and Texas Women Bloggers opened the floodgates.

7. Who inspires you to blog?

For me, it is not who, but what. There are so many inspiring bloggers out there that I couldn't even begin to name them, but I am more driven to blog by my passion and love for running and writing.

8. If you could pick a favorite blog post from this past year, what would it be?

Thanks for reading and getting to know me and Ollie a little bit better. You can click over to the link party to check out some other Texas Women Bloggers! If you would like to join Texas Women Bloggers you can sign up here.

I'm loving Ollie's picture with his tongue hanging out!! ;) So cool to incorporate him into your blog even if it's not about him. And I would be totally scared about the whole previous name thing too. I know of a blog that got a cease and desist letter from the Bravo TV Network (I can't remember who actually owns Bravo at this moment) because their blog was called The Real Housewives of some county. That's super scary. ;)

No, actually I don;t know anything. :) I was just frightened because I knew that the "for Dummies" book people owned the right to that name - and with the rate my blog was growing, I just got scared! :)

Your dog is adorable! Makes me miss my fur baby. (He's still alive. Just with a home that could better care for him. He was a tiny pack of energy = bad apartment dog.) And I love how you incorporated him into your blog. So fun!

Nice to "meet" you. It is always interesting to see the "backside" of things. I imagine that is why these types of posts happen as frequently as they do. In some ways, we can't be more different. I am not from Texas (although I did get stuck there for several days during the storms of January, 2011). I don't have any dogs (live with 2 cats that belong to a friend). And I don't run, and never had the interest to. (Thought about it, but walking seems more my style). But the writer in me likely could find lots to connect with the writer in you. Have a great day!

I loved getting to know you! How fun. I love how you started blogging and why you changed your name. I would have done the exact same thing! That picture of Ollie with his tongue hanging out and chase your dreams is so perfect. I will definitely be coming back often.

I'm not only FitFluential, but I am now living in Houston and I love Texas and I love the Texas Women Bloggers...very supportive and like you they are introducing me to a whole new group of bloggers, which is very cool. High-Fives to Ollie and just being a dog owner. They're the best!